On A Road To Nowhere, At Least We Have Each Other
by o0kaymawn0o
Summary: Chapter Two: Girimmjow and Ichigo go hunting. Grimm/Ichi
1. When It's Cold, We Keep Each Other Warm

_On The Road To Nowhere, At Least We Have Each Other _

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**Summary: **

**A war has broken out, causing two individuals to lose their houses, and families. Ichigo and Grimmjow now walk the earth, searching for a place of refuge. All they have is each other and the shirts on their backs. They hunt for their supplies, and they keep each other warm at night. When two unlikely counterparts take a journey together, how can they keep each other safe? How can they push on, march forward and make it to refuge? What will their relationship become of, spent in one another's company practically all the time? Is it inevitable? Have they somehow been brought together by this tragic event? They don't know, but they fight on, power through, and stay alive-hopeful they will one day find peace once again.**

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**Chapter One: When It's Cold, We Keep Each Other Warm.**

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The rain is heavy tonight. An everlasting sound of droplets roar in their ears. In these weather conditions, they weren't going to be able to move to the next location. They have to wait out the treacherous rain and hope that they don't run in to any trouble.

They're tired—drained. It's been four nights since they got a wink of sleep. Their bodies are ready to give out, their eyes feel like dead weight and the determination they felt several days ago is starting to deteriorate

What do they expect?

They were brought together by unfortunate circumstances. Strangers, is what they are to each other, however they have no other choice but to stick together in these times of destruction.

Everything had been going fine in both their individual lives before this tragic event ripped them from their homes—their families.

He's married! _Married. _And he has no idea where his wife is. He searched for days after the explosion. Half his street has been wiped out by the catastrophic blast, vaporizing the friends he had come to make during his time there.

His situation is bad, but he can't imagine what his blue-haired companion must be going through. As far as he knows, for the guy didn't talk much—he watched his wife perish, along with his two children.

He's older than Ichigo, and his eyes tell a heartbreaking story.

_One the redhead can't even begin to imagine. _

Their only source of protection from the harsh weather is a rundown shack that might not even hold for the entire night. Ichigo hopes it will. He hopes the sun will come out in the morning and they can continue on their path to the refugee camp.

"Are you cold?" his companion asks. His voices sounds broken, a sham of what it could have once been.

Ichigo wants to tell him that he's fine, but his skin's currently jumping from the blistering cold creeping in through the many cracks. He's not sure if the shack was in this position before or after the explosion.

Whatever the case may be, it clearly wasn't looked after.

He clears his throat, trying his voice after being a mute for the past few hours. "Yeah, but it's fine. I'll be okay. What about you?" The blunet shakes his head in disbelief, a smile that fails to reach his eyes registering in Ichigo's vision.

Ichigo's eyes shouted _what. _

The taller man slips his jacket off and throws it on the floor. He reaches his hand out and gestures for Ichigo to do the same. Although skeptical of the guy's actions, the redhead removes his own overcoat, handing it over.

Pleased, he drops it next to his jacket, starting on the rest of his clothes.

Ichigo blanches, unsure how to react, as his companion undoes the button on his jeans, rolling the material down his strong looking legs before he kicks them off, immediately after discarding his jumper and undershirt.

The one thing they don't have is shoes.

Ichigo turns away as the blunet reaches for the waistband of his boxer shorts, pulling them off and standing there fully naked.

"Don't be shy, Ichigo. It's okay. I'm not going to rape you or anything," he utters, not hesitating for a second. When the younger man proceeds to stare prudently at the wall, he rolls his eyes. "What you're doing right now is more awkward than actually turning around and acknowledging that I'm naked," he announces offhandedly, stepping towards the door to the shack.

Not prepared to take that from a stranger, Ichigo turns on his heel, flushing a deep red, as he's never witnessed a man as forward as his blue-haired counterpart, who he has yet to even discover the name of.

They've been travelling together for days, and he hasn't a clue about the others name. And yet this family man is willing to strip in front of a total stranger and waltz around like he isn't currently nude as the day he was born.

Ichigo isn't sure how to comprehend this.

"Instead of standing there slack-jawed, just follow my lead. You stink, Ichigo. Really bad, and I can't stand the smell of myself right now, either. So, let's take advantage of this shower, okay?"

The mysterious man doesn't wait for the redhead to answer. He's already outside of the shack before Ichigo can even string a sentence together.

_This is stupid. _

Why is he even thinking about joining this stranger outside? The very idea is ludicrous. On the other hand, where logic lies, he has a point. It hasn't showered in days. It has been blisteringly hot, actually.

So, now is their opportunity to get decisively clean.

Done with questioning himself for now, Ichigo hurriedly falls out of his clothes and walks out of the shack, spotting the rather muscular man standing under the rains downpour, letting himself be drenched in its tears.

His head is tilted towards the moonlit sky, several strikes of lightning illuminating his tanned body. Ichigo finds him fascinating in this moment. He can see so much strength in his arms and legs—the defined muscles on his back showcasing years of development and hard work.

Ichigo assumes that the man must have practiced with his hands a lot, lifting things too heavy for a normal build.

"Enjoying the view?" he teases, with no drive to his words, regarding Ichigo's form over his shoulder. His eyes glaze over the younger man, taking in the toned muscles, and sinewy features.

He offers a small grin of appreciation.

"My guess is you were a swimmer when you were in high-school, then swam for your colleges team?" he smirks, for real this time, when he witnesses the look of shock pass over the redheads face.

He clearly hit the nail on the head.

"How did you know that?" he retorts, vaguely shameful he can be read so easily, and by a complete stranger, no less.

The man cocks his head and flexes his muscles. "I was a personal trainer," he mentions on the wind, running his hands down his body, slowly ghosting over his flaccid appendage, focusing on airing out the space between his thighs and testicles.

Ichigo can't understand how the man isn't freezing to death. He feels like he is, but logic dictates that he is still alive.

"Come over here, Ichigo," the blunet mutters, not wasting his time checking to see if he actually follows the request.

Ichigo does so, and he doesn't have a clue why.

The redhead steps up to him, moving to his side. He stares up into controlled blue eyes, wondering why he called him over here.

"It's great that we have some rain to get clean, but the result of this is gonna leave our bodies cold, and possibly give us pneumonia—before you freak, listen to me. We can get through it without a hitch, but we're going to have to make covers out of our clothes and sleep together," he informs, as if he were talking about what he had for lunch a few days ago—so casual and with no fear whatsoever.

It encourages Ichigo to be brave, too.

He ponders if this is the reason he listened to this man when he instructed Ichigo to come with him, as there is no point journeying on his own, when he can have someone looking out for him—they watch each other's backs and make it to the refugee camp.

There's just one problem with what he said. "And what do you mean when you say _sleep together, _just so we're clear?" he keeps the slight fear out of his tone. This man has a few years and a fair bit of muscle on him, so he'll need a miracle to fight the guy off, if need be.

He runs a hand through Ichigo's hair, smirking at him. "Don't worry, Ichigo. Don't ya' think if I wanted to fuck you, I would have done it weeks ago? Y'know, I have a very large sex drive, but I'm also not a rapist, so ya' have nothing to worry about," the blunet assures, releasing his hand from Ichigo's hair.

The redhead touches where it last was.

"We just have to cuddle or whatever. Two naked bodies against each other is an easy way to keep warm. Moving bodies would be better, but I'm not risking anything here."

Seemingly finished with the shower, the man stalks back toward the shack, gesturing Ichigo to join him with a movement of his hand above his own shoulder.

Ichigo follows after him, ponderous about the upcoming event. What if he wakes up with something else pressed against him? He knows it wouldn't be awkward for the big guy—he doesn't seem to have any shame at all.

He'll feel extremely uncomfortable, though.

The man closes the door after Ichigo enters.

He stops still as he prepares the bed, suddenly aware of the next item on the agenda. "Ichigo, in order for this to work, one of us is going to have to hold the other. It honestly makes no difference to me. I'm fairly confident that if ya' turn out to be a rapist, I can have ya' pinned to the floor before ya' can pretend it was all a misunderstanding," the blunet declares, still not interested in any reaction that Ichigo might have to his words.

Ichigo swallows the lump in his throat as he faces reality. "Well, it would make more sense if you did the, uh, holding, 'coz I'm smaller and a bit slimmer than you, and the better the fit, the better the heat I guess, right?" he rambles, accepting the fact that it does seem more efficient if the blunet holds him.

"What's your name?" Ichigo finally can't hold off anymore.

The man finishes setting up, settling into the makeshift bed. He gestures for Ichigo to get under the covers. Wordlessly, the redhead does so.

He turns over on his side, and tenses up before relaxing, as strong arms circle around him and pull him against a slightly wet body.

"Much easier fit than I thought it would be," the stranger admits, placing one leg over the oranget's. The younger man still wants an answer to his question, and his companion somehow felt the apprehension on Ichigo's back.

"My name's Grimmjow. Now, go to sleep, okay?" he suggests, resting his chin on the top of Ichigo's head for extra warmth and closeness.

Ichigo manages to wriggle back a tad, enjoying the warmth that spreads through him with the motion.

He's glad he finally knows the strangers name.

_Grimmjow, huh? That's exotic. _

A few minutes later, they pass out, and stay in the same position for the whole night.


	2. Hunting Is Necessary In These Troubled--

_On A Road To Nowhere, At Least We Have Each Other _

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**Chapter Two: Hunting Is Necessary In These Troubled Times**

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Ichigo wakes up with a start, urging himself to remember that it was just a nightmare, and he's safe. He recalls the position he's in, less anxious than he thinks he should be in this situation. Grimmjow still has him in a warm embrace. The smaller man's surprised that he slept so soundlessly. It didn't take him long to get to sleep at all. He was out like a light after a few minutes, somehow lulled to sleep by the rise and fall of Grimmjow's chest against his back, and the air from the blunet's nose puffing against his hair.

An odd combination, but it certainly works wonders.

He feels like he should say something, as he's up now and the sun is gleaming in through the damaged shack. Coupled with the body heat of his companion, it's plenty hot under the covers.

Grimmjow's still sleeping, however—hence his predicament.

Ichigo tries to squirm, attempting to break free from the remarkably tight hold for a sleeping man. He fails to move even an inch. Grimmjow shifts one of his hands to Ichigo's abdomen and nestles his head further into the redheads orange mop.

What's he supposed to do? He guesses he can try calling the man's name a few times.

"Hey, Grimmjow?"

The only reaction he receives is the large hand on his abdomen hiking further down, resting just under his navel.

"Oi, Grimmjow! Get the hell up!"

Unconsciously, the blunet's foot slides up and down the leg of Ichigo's it's shielding, smoothing over the fine hairs on the man's skin.

_Fuck, he's a deep sleeper. _

He complains inwardly, deciding that he only has one course of action left in this moment in time. He raises his free leg forward slightly, then shoots it back to slam his heel into Grimmjow's shin.

Seconds later, Ichigo finds himself pinned to the floor with both his wrists locked in a vice grip, a heavy weight settled on top of him.

"Why did you just try to kick me?" He hears from above him. Ichigo grumbles out that he attempted to wake the man up a nicer way, but he wasn't going for it. Grimmjow nods, understanding, and stands up, releasing the hold in the meantime.

He immediately starts taking apart the makeshift bed, throwing Ichigo's clothes into one pile, while draping his own over his forearm.

Ichigo rolls over, groaning from the nipping pain in his wrists.

"For a personal trainer, you have some good reflexes," he grumbles, reaching for his jeans. He wriggles into them, thrusting his hips up to get the waistband over his butt. Yesterday night, he disrobed both his jeans and underwear at the same time. Mostly to conserve time and due to already having been quivering where he stood.

Grimmjow buttons his jeans, halfway through dressing himself. "I took several classes when I was younger. The training sort of sticks if you keep at it for long enough." He shrugs his broad shoulders, pushing his head through the top of his undershirt.

"My mom had me doing karate from age six, but I didn't see that coming at all," the smaller man replies, finishing clothing himself. He misses having shoes. His feet feel ruined. Honestly, he can only hope that on their way to refuge, they find a town that has yet to be completely destroyed, with a few stores still intact.

Grimmjow tips his head, glancing toward the top of she shack. He shield his eyes against the great amount of sun, a small smirk of eagerness greeting the rays as they come.

"Have ya' ever hunted before, Ichigo?" he requests, already stepping over to the door and pulling it open. He moves outside, breathing in the air.

Ichigo makes his way outside next to him, revealing that he's never hunted before, no.

"Well, if we wanna eat, we're gonna have to hunt," he announces, a predatory gleam framing his deep blue eyes.

The young man gulps in apprehension. They better find something to eat soon, otherwise he could be the next item on the list.

"All right, we'll keep going the way we were yesterday—if I remember right, there should be a forest not too far from here. A couple hours walk should get us there," the blunet informs, starting off toward the forest.

Ichigo falls into step beside him.

"Did your parents take you hunting?"

"Yeah. My pap took me for the first time when I was eight. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life," he admits proudly.

The redhead's hands find his pockets. "Then what was your first kill?"

Grimmjow observes the man for a brief moment, grins and looks back. "It was a bear."

"A bear? Seriously, your first kill?"

"That wasn't the plan. I went too far out, with my rifle and the big guy came out of nowhere. I stayed calm, pointed my gun and shot it."

While he's slightly scared by how casual this man can be, Ichigo can't help himself feeling a sense of admiration for the guy at the same time.

"So, how are we gonna hunt with no guns?"

Grimmjow smirks. "We start off small—rabbits. Ya' just need to get a good handle on 'em and snap their necks. Then we make weapons while we're there, like the cavemen. Survival of the fittest, Ichigo!" he explains, his pace picking up all of a sudden.

Ichigo matches his speed, a daunting—yet anticipant look on his face.

He can't quite believe his eyes. They got here a few minutes ago. The second they set foot in the forest, Grimmjow took in a large whiff of the air, prepped his stance then took off like a dog in heat.

Ichigo spots the brown rabbit the blunet's chasing, with a speed he hasn't quite seen before in a human being. He's quite fast himself. On top of swimming, he did track at school and college. He's pretty damn good at it.

He figures that this one is Grimmjow's hunt, so he'll just watch and observe.

Grimmjow leaps over a fallen tree, not taking a second to sustain the fall before he's back on the run, tearing through branches to tackle his prey.

He hops frantically, trying to escape the mad man bounding after him. He turns a corner, searching for the hole he came out of earlier just to eat some leaves. A foot slams in front of him, and a tense hand circles round his neck.

The blunet feels the weight beneath his fingers. He looks back at the redhead, whose eyes are wide after the exchange. He shrugs, snapping the omnivore's neck cleanly.

"Don't just stand there, Ichigo. One's not enough," he utters, an idea spiking his mind. He calls the oranget over, and he complies with some reluctance. He urges himself not to stare at the lifeless creature n his cohort's hand.

"See this rabbit hole?"

Ichigo nods skeptically.

"If this little fella was in there, that means more are, so we need to draw 'em all out," he relays, handing the dead animal over to the smaller man, who takes it begrudgingly. He watches as Grimmjow deters around the patch of dirt for a center point. He snatches a large stick from the ground and penetrates the earth, over and over—bringing up more dirt as he goes along.

A smug expression litters his face when he breaks through to the mini tunnel underneath. "Do ya' know how to make fires?" he asks, not looking at the man.

Ichigo shifts in his stance, fishing around in his back pocket. "No, but I have a lighter we can use," he reveals, chucking the metal lighter to the blunet, who catches it.

He observes the contraption. "Do ya' smoke?" When Ichigo answers with a yes, he grins. "Well, guess we should hunt for some cigarettes if we finally find a town!" he mumbles, lighting some leaves he took from a branch.

He drops them into the hole, watching the smoke rise up, and orders Ichigo to grab whatever comes out.

In a different situation, Ichigo would have barked at the man to take his orders and shove them up his own ass, but there's no time to be abrasive. Grimmjow knows what he's doing. If he follows without question, he'll get food.

As rabbits scramble out of the hole, Ichigo slams his foot on one of their backs, instantly breaking it. Grimmjow quickly dives on top of a few of them, staying still and making himself dead weight, until they're no longer moving against him.

He's going to have scratches all over his stomach, but it's worth it to get some food.

Hungrily, he peers up at his companion. "Okay, let's make some food!" he yells, overly hungry now. Being a personal trainer, Grimmjow has to eat lots a day and work out for hours. It's been years since he's gone this long without large amounts of sustenance.

The steam from their cooking space filters through the air, black and heading for the ozone layer. Ichigo might be able to give a damn, if it wasn't necessary for them to pollute the atmosphere in order to feed themselves.

"Good, right?" Grimmjow asks curiously, finishing his last rabbit.

Ichigo smiles. "Yeah, it's great," he admits, partially weirded out that he just hunted and cooked his own food.

Grimmjow registers the look. "Don't worry, Ichigo. In desperate times, we hunt. It's human nature. You've got nothin' to worry about," he assures, stomping out the fire they had created.

"Now, we need to make some weapons, then we can keep heading north, all right?"

"All right then." He scowls. While he gets that they have no other choice, he doesn't really like to kill living things.

He'll have to get over it, however, if he wants to survive.


End file.
